Ramallah/Jerusalem, Sep 28 (Xinhua) An Israeli military court Wednesday ordered the release of Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser al-Shaer, his lawyer said.

"The court admitted there was not enough evidence to keep him in jail. He will be home in Nablus (in the West Bank) in a matter of hours," Shaer's lawyer Osama al-Saadi was quoted by Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz as saying.

Al-Shaer, who was arrested on Aug 19 by Israeli forces in the West Bank city of Ramallah, had been the most senior Hamas official arrested in an Israeli crackdown against the group.

Israel launched the crackdown after three Palestinian militant groups headed by Hamas' armed wing kidnapped one Israeli soldier and killed two others during a cross-border attack.

More than 24 Hamas ministers and lawmakers, including the Parliament Speaker Aziz Dweik, were detained during the crackdown.

An Israeli military court decided last week to free 18 ministers and lawmakers. But the Israeli army attorney general extended their arrests and kept them in custody.